MINNEAPOLIS -- When Joe Mauer stepped to the plate for the first time on Sunday, White Sox starter Dylan Covey stood off to the side of the mound. Home plate umpire Jim Reynolds stepped away from the home plate. Both made sure there was ample time for the Target Field crowd of 30,144 to give a well-deserved farewell.
Mauer, who may have played his last MLB game on Sunday as he heads into the offseason contemplating retirement, received a standing ovation each time he came to the plate during Minnesota's season finale, a 5-4 win over the White Sox.